The best way to prevent injuries
First of all let’s clarify something. We can’t prevent injuries. We will never be able to stop people getting hurt. However, we can reduce the risk of getting injured. This post will explore some of the evidence based methods for reducing the risk of injury.
Stretching
There is a common myth that stretching reduces the risk of injury.
Let’s separate out two distinct types of stretching. Static and dynamic. Dynamic stretching is essentially movement. Static stretching involves holding the muscle in a lengthened position for a period of time.
When people refer to stretching usually they are referring to static stretching. They also tell me that they got injured because they didn’t stretch. Let’s have a look at the evidence:
Stretching did not show any protective effect (RR=0.961 (0.836–1.106)), while strength training proved highly significant (RR 0.315 (0.2070.480)). (1)
Taken from: The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British journal of sports medicine. 2014 (1)
Which brings me on to the second topic.
Strength Training
According to the above study strength training showed a significant reduction in the risk of injury. It actually reduced the risk of injury by more than a third. The study also showed that more strength decreased the likelihood of getting injured.
Balance Training
Balance training is an effective form of reducing the risk of injury. It’s not as effective as strength training but a lot more effective than stretching. It is referred to as proprioception training in the literature. Here’s what the study reported:
Proprioception training and multiple exposure programmes were also effective (RR=0.480 (0.266–0.864) and 0.625 (0.477–0.820), respectively) (1)
Multiple exposure programmes refers to a combination of stretching, strength and balance training. Therefore balance training reduced the risk of injury by nearly half.
Summary
Stretching is not an effective method for reducing the risk of injury.
Strength training is the most effective intervention to reduce the risk of injury.
Balance or proprioceptive training is also effective at reducing the risk of injury.
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Please note that this post refers only to exercise types for reducing the risk of injury. Fatigue management and dosage of exercise are also important concepts for reducing the risk of injury. These will be discussed in later blog posts.
Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British journal of sports medicine. 2014; 48(11):871-7